Ballard F. Smith

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Ballard F. Smith (born 1946) is a former sports executive who was president of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. [1]

A graduate of Carleton College and the University of Minnesota Law School, Smith was a district attorney in Pennsylvania before taking over the Padres in 1979 during the time his father-in-law Ray Kroc owned the team. [2] Ordered to control spending, Smith enabled the 1983 free agent signing of first baseman Steve Garvey after persuading Ace Parking and KFMB-AM radio to invest money in the Padres, convincing them that their revenues would increase if the team succeeded. In 1984, they signed relef pitcher Goose Gossage using a long-term annuity at the suggestion of Dick Freeman, the Padres’ chief financial officer, an innovative move to lessen the immediate financial obligations. Padres general manager Jack McKeon also arranged to acquire third baseman Graig Nettles in a trade with the New York Yankees. However, with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner wanting to talk to team owners, not McKeon, Smith finalized the deal on the account of being Kroc's son-in-law. [3] That season, the Padres won the National League pennant. [2] Smith also served on the executive committee of Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1985. [4] He resigned from the Padres mid-season in 1987. [5]

Smith also served on the board of directors of McDonald's from 1983 to 1997. He subsequently moved to Idaho and to other business interests and activities. [4] In 2013, Smith co-founded an educational non-profit called Science of Sport [6] with University of Arizona Professor Ricardo Valerdi [7] aimed at promoting STEM education through sports examples. Smith serves as executive director [6] for the non-profit which has established educational programs for the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and Washington Nationals.

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References

  1. ↑ "Daughter of Joan Kroc : Linda Smith Plans to Divorce Padres' Boss". Los Angeles Times. February 19, 1987.
  2. 1 2 Distel, Dave (April 5, 1984). "Where's the Beef? Ballard Smith Doesn't Have Any". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ Miller, Bryce (September 17, 2024). "Bryce Miller: 'Forgotten guy' Ballard Smith built 1984 Padres into World Series team". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Carbite Golf Names Ballard Smith, Former San Diego Padres Executive, To Board of Directors. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. PRNewswire. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
  5. ↑ Wulf, Steve (April 5, 1989). "All My Padres". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Science of Sport – "WE MAKE CHAMPIONS IN THE CLASSROOM"".
  7. ↑ "Science of Sport Starts up | Tech Launch Arizona". Archived from the original on 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
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